For some months now, President Obama has increasingly been couching his rhetoric in the language of fairness. But in recent weeks, a growing number of conservative elected officials have begun contesting Obama’s claim to be the arbiter of what constitutes fairness and taking the issue of fairness head on in public policy.

In recent months, electoral skirmishes and policy debates have hinged on the meaning of fairness. Defenders of free enterprise have often shied away from moral language, preferring to rely on facts, figures, or constitutional arguments to make their case. AEI president Arthur Brooks highlights free enterprise leaders who are changing, now making the moral case.

This AEI event will address the key policy areas that the Republican Study Committee hopes to influence in the coming years.

What can we learn from last week's House vote on the tax deal? Politicos calculate that important elements of both party bases are unhappy with the compromise, but that the vast American middle wants it.

Some politicians realize extending this debate over a tiny share of the budget will detract from the bigger questions that will hit the fiscal 2012 budget starting in April.

By continuing Bush-era national security policies, and committing to increase troop levels in Afghanistan, President Obama has left Democrats disappointed.